The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-24
cANADA's INFANT INDUSTRIES.
Commercial Union as Viewed by q
French Canadian Minister.
How the Dominion system of Reve'
nue Would be Affected.
Farmers Not Likely to Vote In Order
to Tax Themselves.

MONTREAL, Nov. 23.-Sir Hector Ian
gevin, Minister of Public Works, was pre-
sented with an address by the Conservatives
Of Montreal at the Chateau de Ramsay last
night. He spoke at length ON the fiscal poll
cy Of the government and what it had done
to build up the industries Of the country.
'It is not surprising" said he. ''that outside
parties should ask us TO abandon all these
advantages simply to adopt what is known
as commercial union, which in reality means
that we should abandon our position as an
independent people and lose the protection
that Great Britain has SO generally given us
in the past. 1t is all very well for an out
slider who has no interest in the country to
come and preach 70 us OF the unbounded
prosperity we would enjoy. Our industries
are stlll In their infancy, and we must main
tain our protective policy. would like TO
know why we should abandon our allegiance
TO Great Britain. The whole history Of our
race Is against such an action. We have al
ways been opposed TO the absorption Of our
country by the United States. When during
the American war the Americans attempted
to take Canada it was the French Canadians
who defended the country and preserved IL
to England. Time and again my country
men have shed their blood in the field Of bat
tie to maintain their allegiance to Great
Britain, and what has she done that we
should turn against her now? The cry has
been raised TO give Canada the right to make
her own commercial treaties but even il we
had that right we have not the power to en-
force such treaties as we might make. We
are well enough as we are-we have made
wonderful progress OF late years and Eng
land is proud of our success. She gives us
her protection, and should we be so migrate
full TO her as TO follow the lead of few ad-
venturers from the United States, who pre-
tend to know our business better than we do
ourselves? The g0yernment.is strongly op-
posed to commercial union, and the people
by the recent elections in Haldimand and
Victoria baye shown that they support us
in this and that our policy meets with their
approval"
At the close Sir Hector made few com
monplace remarks in English. He was fol-
lowed by the Hon. j. A. Chapleau, who also
made an attack on commercial union. He
il attempted result in Canada being a mere
dependency of the United States unless the
latter saw fit to annex the country altogeth-
er. The systems of granting subsidies to
the provincial legislatures would have to be
dropped and revenues for local purposes
raised by direct taxation. This was a tell
ing argument with the delegates from the
country districts, as the revenue Is at pres
ent raised by the cities Of Montreal and
Quebec and the Dominion subsidy and the
farmers will vote to q man against any
scheme which will lay any share Of the tax
alton on themselves.
The attitude taken up by these two Cabi-
net Ministers is looked upon as a death blow
to the scheme of commercial union so far as
the French Canadians are concerned.